The Best Christmas Gift Ever
by Merrymary05
Summary: Serena and Darien are married, but are very poor as Christmas comes around this year. Both go on a quest to find each other one special gift, but they both receive something better reminding them of what truly matters this season.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Best Christmas Gift Ever**_

**Author's Notes: Christmas is coming so I had to write a story. I'm pretty satisfied with it, but there's always room for improvement. Have fun reading!**

_Chapter 1_

It was Christmas Eve and Serena was sitting at the kitchen table looking distressed while Darien was running a quick errand. She looked over all the bills and notices that had come in the mail and sighed heavily. She wasn't sure how she and Darien were going to get everything paid off especially with their family expanding, but she had hope that everything would work out in the end. She put the bills away and finished cooking breakfast. She set it aside and took a seat rubbing her big round belly unconsciously. She smiled as she thought about how much her and Darien's marriage remained so strong despite the unexpected circumstances they faced.

Serena was a little nervous about this pregnancy because of what happened the first time early in her and Darien's marriage. She and Darien were both heartbroken when they delivered a stillborn in the 7th month and Serena naturally took it the hardest. Darien's constant love and support helped her through that tough time and he insisted that she didn't work promising that he would take care of them both. Now one year later Serena was 8 months pregnant with twins and so far everything was going well. Darien continued to work hard for the family, but things at his job presented their own challenges. He made pretty good money at the business company he worked for and was about to be promoted, but financial trouble came and changed everything. Workers had to be laid off and Darien was included, but thankfully he had prior experience working on cars and found a job as a mechanic. He didn't make as much money as before and it had been a struggle trying to make ends meet over the last few months.

"Serena, I'm home!" Darien called from the front door interrupting Serena's thoughts. She got up and was met with a surprise when she walked into the den. "I got us a little Christmas tree," he said proudly setting it upright. "Do you like it?"

It wasn't much of a tree, but it was big enough for the two of them and it was already decorated. "Oh, Darien you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," he replied as he hugged her from behind. "I know how much you love Christmas and I had to spread the cheer."

Serena smiled at him. "Well I love it," she said kissing his cheek. "I made you some breakfast."

"Sere, you didn't have to do that," he said following her into the kitchen. "You're having our twins and you need to be careful."

"I know that," Serena said sharply. "Do you think I'm trying to repeat what happened last time when…" She stopped short and hid her face in her hands.

Darien mentally kicked himself and went to hug her. He knew how sensitive she was about having the babies and hated that he made her upset about it. "I didn't mean it like that," he said softly. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No, I'm sorry for going off on you," Serena said with a sniffle. "I'm just a little scared."

"You have nothing to fear, love." He kissed her forehead. "We're already in the 8th month and the doctor said the babies are as healthy as can be. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened."

"I know," she said picking up two plates of pancakes. "Let's sit down and enjoy our meal before it gets cold." Darien pulled out a chair for her after she set the plates down. He smiled when he saw the pancakes shaped like a heart and held Serena's hands in his across the table. "Would you like to say the blessing or should I?"

"I'll do it," Darien said bowing his head. "Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for a new day to live and for all of the blessings you have provided for us. Bless this food to our bodies and protect us throughout the day. Amen."

"Amen. What would you like for Christmas this year?"

"I keep telling you I don't need anything," Darien said with his mouth full. "As long as I have you by my side, I'll be the happiest man alive. What about you?"

_I'm still getting you something_ Serena thought as she chewed her food. "I don't need anything either. Your love is the best thing I have."

"I appreciate that," Darien laughed. "But you're still getting something. I'll make sure of it."

Serena smiled and looked at the clock. "Oh Darien, look at the time. Hurry up or you'll be late."

"That means you too, Mommy," he said helping her up. He cleared the plates and walked her with his bike to the department store just a block away from their house. Although he didn't like Serena working while she was pregnant, the little money she made wrapping presents did help with the bills and he appreciated it. "Call me at work if you need anything," Darien said before kissing her tenderly on the lips.

"I will," she said kissing him again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Princess." He kissed her cheek and waved before riding away on his bike.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

What Serena didn't know was that Darien unofficially had two jobs. After finishing his shifts at the mechanic shop, he would go to the park and play his guitar for tips. After picking up his guitar from home, he rode his bike to work and stopped at the window of a jewelry store where a specific necklace got his attention weeks ago. He stopped to stare at it for a moment. It was a simple golden chain holding a golden heart locket with a small red rose in the center of it. He found out after asking the manager that the heart could serve as a charm on a charm bracelet. Darien planned to get it for Serena's charm bracelet for Christmas because he knew that the bracelet meant the world to her since it came from her mother who died a few years ago. The only problem was that his savings still came a bit short. _After today, I'm sure I'll be able to get it._ He looked at the store sign and noticed that the shop would be closing at 6pm. _I should have plenty of time after the park._ He looked at his watch and gasped in surprise when he realized he needed to get going or else he'd be late.

*******

Darien arrived at the mechanic shop and clocked in just enough time before his shift started. "Shields!" Diamond Carson, the owner and boss of the shop yelled. "You're late!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Darien said apologetically. "I-I was helping my pregnant wife get to work and, and, and…"

"And he's already clocked in," Andrew Crown, another employee, finished for him. "You check for yourself."

"We'll see about that," Carson said with disbelief. "If I find out you're lying, you're fired." He walked back to his office.

Darien breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Andrew," he said gratefully. Andrew was Darien's best friend on the job. They found out that they had a lot in common since meeting on Darien's first day and were inseparable ever since. Even though they only knew each other for a few months, it was as though they knew each other for years.

"Any time pal," he said clapping him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't want to see my best friend get fired because he has a problem stuttering, especially on Christmas Eve."

Darien smiled as he got his tools together. "Are you and Mina doing anything special with the kids for the holiday?" he asked as they walked to the garage area.

"Nothing fancy," he said opening the hood to one of the cars. "We're going to watch Rachel and Jonathan in the school play. Then both our parents should be arriving tonight so we all can spend Christmas day together."

"Sounds fun. When's the play?"

"Tonight at 5pm. I wouldn't miss it for the world. How are Serena and the twins?"

"She's still nervous, but excited. I can tell she's ready for them to come out."

Andrew laughed. "I remember those days. It'll be here before you know it. Patience is the key."

They didn't have much more time to talk together because Carson allowed a flood of customers to come through at the last minute without appointments. All he cared about was raking in the extra money from everyone making last minute Christmas trips. By the time 3pm rolled around, Darien and Andrew were exhausted and tired of all of the impatient customers. They were about ready to end their shift as scheduled, but Carson had other plans for them. "Shields, Crown!" he yelled. "I'm gonna need you two to work until 5pm to take care of all these customers."

"But I have to get home to see my kids' play," Andrew complained.

"That's too bad. You either work longer or you're fired. They'll understand." Carson walked away and Andrew's body slumped.

"Rachel has the lead as Mary this year and Jon was so excited about being a shepherd," Andrew said sadly. "I know they're only 7 and 5, but it means so much to them."

"Then go," Darien said. "Leave when you need to and I'll cover the rest of your shift."

"Are you sure, Darien? There are a lot of customers."

"I'm sure it'll die down by 4pm or so. It won't be a problem."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Darien!" Andrew said happily. "I'll never forget this."

"Hey ladies!" Carson yelled. "Stop chit chatting and get back to work!"

Darien and Andrew continued working hard to assist the remaining customers and as Darien predicted there weren't a lot left at 4pm. Andrew got ready to leave. "Thank you again for covering for me," he said gratefully. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it," Darien said as he wiped his hands. "Get home to your family. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too," Andrew said before waving and running off.

Darien had no problem keeping the customers under control and served them as best he knew how. The last customer was an elderly man with his wife in the car. They requested an inspection, but unfortunately Darien found more problems than they originally thought they had with the car. "You need your brakes fixed and your oil changed," he said matter-of-factly. "It looks like you might need a couple of new tires or else you won't be able to make the rest of the trip without any problems."

The man frowned at his wife. "We don't have enough money for all that right now," he said sadly. "We would if we didn't have to pay up front."

"I'd hate to burden Mi and all the kids and ask them to pick us up all the way out here," his wife responded. "but we might not have a choice."

Darien sighed. "How much can you afford right now?"

"Probably enough for the brakes and oil change," the man said.

"It's Christmas so how about I fix the brakes and do the oil change for half the price and I give you 2 new tires for free."

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble?" the wife asked.

"I'll worry about that later. Let me get to work." Darien worked on the car for half an hour with as much diligence and accuracy as possible. "All done," Darien said proudly after the last tire was changed.

"Thank you so much, sir," the man said as he started the car.

The woman handed Darien some money. "It's the rest of the payment for the brakes and oil. Keep it as a tip."

Darien looked at the money in awe. It was just enough to buy Serena the necklace. "Thank you so much. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, young man!" Darien waved at them as they drove off and turned around to face an angry Carson. "I-Is something wrong, sir?" he asked nervously.

"I saw what you did," he said angrily. "Hand over all the tips you made today to cover the free work you did." Darien pulled out all of his tip money and gave it to his boss reluctantly. "Thank you, now you're fired! Scram!"

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Carson," Darien said before walking away dejectedly.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Serena was having a hard day too. Because it was Christmas Eve, truck loads of presents came in that needed to be wrapped. It seemed like the process would never end. "Serena, stay seated," Rae Henderson said as Serena started to get up to get more boxes. Rae was another employee at the department store. "We'll pass the gifts to you."

"She needs to stand up every once in a while," Amy Anderson the phone receptionist said. "It's healthy for the babies."

"I appreciate your concern guys," Serena said as she wrapped another present.

A knock came on the door and Lita Kingston entered. She worked at the bakery next door to the department store. "Hey girls," she said cheerfully. "I made you some special Christmas cookies. I'll set them at Amy's desk. I've gotta get back before it gets out of control." She left as quickly as she came as the girls dug into the cookies.

"That is so sweet," Serena said taking a few cookies and handing some to Rae. "I'm gonna miss this when Christmas is over. I love you girls so much."

"It's not like we'll move away anytime soon," Rae said handing her another present. "We'll definitely keep in touch."

"Absolutely," Amy said after finishing a phone call. "You're gonna need someone to babysit for you once the twins are born."

"Have you and Darien decided on names yet?" Rae asked.

Serena shook her head no. "We don't even know their genders yet. We wanted to be surprised. Brittany Nicole is cute though."

"You still need one more," Amy stated.

"And what if you have boys?" Rae asked.

Serena sighed as she wrapped another present. "Maybe Darien will come up with it."

They continued wrapping presents until the last few came around 430pm. "Finally, we're almost done!" Rae exclaimed. "I'm so glad this place closes at 5pm."

"Do either of ya'll have special plans?" Serena asked.

"My mother is coming to visit me and Greg," Amy said before the phone rang again.

Rae passed Serena another present. "Chad and I are taking Lexi to my grandfather's house tonight as soon as I get off. What about you?"

"Darien and I are just staying here enjoying each other. We can't really afford much else."

"Serena," Amy said suddenly after getting off the phone. "Beryl wants to see you in her office as soon as possible."

"I hope I'm not in trouble," Serena said as she stood up.

"Please," Rae said dismissively. "You're pretty much the best gift wrapper we've ever had and you've been nothing but sweet since you got here."

"Just be careful," Amy warned. "Beryl can have a bit of an attitude when dealing people."

Serena headed to the second floor to see Beryl in her office. She was greeted warmly by her assistant manager Mina Crown. "Hi Serena! How are you and the babies today?"

"We're great," Serena said happily. She noticed that Mina was packing to leave. "I guess you got done early today."

"Yeah, I had to request off by 4:30pm a month ago. Rachel and Jonathan are doing a Christmas play at 5pm. Andrew's coming to see them too. They're so excited about it!"

"I'll bet. You have fun. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Serena." Mina waved and went down the stairs as Serena knocked on Beryl's door.

"Come on in," Beryl said. Serena entered and took a seat across from her sitting behind the desk. "It's been so nice to have you here this year, Selena," Beryl said.

"My name is Serena, but thank you."

"Whatever. I just want to reward you with a bonus for your service."

_Oh wonderful! A Christmas bonus should be enough money to buy Darien a present and pay those bills_. Serena smiled in anticipation as Beryl dug something from under her desk. Serena saw the paycheck, but frowned once she saw the other thing in her hands.

"Have a fruitcake," Beryl said with a fake smile. "I'm sure you'll want it for you and the baby."

"Thank you," Serena said sadly taking the heavy fruitcake. She could have sworn it was stale. She looked at the paycheck and saw that it wasn't very much at all. "Merry Christmas, Beryl."

"Merry Christmas, Sabrina."

Serena headed down the stairs dejectedly and didn't even bother to correct her that time. Lita had come back and was talking with Amy and Rae as they packed up to leave. "What the heck is that?" Rae asked looking at the fruitcake in Serena's hands.

"It's a fruitcake," Serena said sadly.

"I could definitely make a better fruitcake than that," Lita said poking the hard substance. "Throw that thing away. I'll bring one specially made for you tomorrow." The four of them walked out of the store together. "Have a very merry Christmas, girls," Lita said as she ran to catch the bus.

"You too," Rae yelled. "Call me. I'll see you later." Rae headed in the opposite direction.

"Do you need me to walk you home today, Serena?" Amy asked.

Serena smiled. "I'd like that, Amy. I have to make a stop on the way though." They two of them walked down the sidewalk and into an antique jewelry/pawn shop. Serena headed straight for the pocket watch box that was on display. It was black with a golden embroidery around the edges and a glass opening to display what was inside. "I saw this and I wanted to get it for Darien," she explained to Amy. "It's not much, but I think he'll like it." Serena knew that Darien treasured the pocket watch his father gave to him before he died so this present would mean a lot to him.

"I'm sure he'll love anything you give him."

They came to the front of the line and the cashier rang it up. "$89.94, please."

Serena counted her money and panicked. _I don't have enough_ Serena thought frantically until an idea came to her. She took off her mother's charm bracelet and looked at it longingly. It was a treasured possession since she died a few years ago, but Serena decided it would be worth trading for Darien's pleasure. "How much value do you think this bracelet has?"

The cashier examined it carefully and whistled. "Wow, this is a rarity. It's probably worth a good amount of money."

"Do you think it would be enough to buy that box?"

The cashier examined the bracelet again and smiled. "I think we can work something out."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Meanwhile, Darien was in the park with his guitar hoping to make a few tips while playing before the jewelry store closed. He went to his usual bench and kept the guitar case open as he began playing simple Christmas songs. Not many people were walking around the park and most people he did see ignored him. Some people gave him some loose change, but that was about it. Darien was not in a big rush to get home and tell Serena that he was fired so he stayed in the park a while longer. Even though he still wasn't making much money he found that playing the music calmed him down and helped him forget his worries. Darien decided to play his personal arrangement of 'O Holy Night' for his final performance before heading to the jewelry store.

A couple of children dressed like a Bible character and a shepherd suddenly appeared in front of Darien and listened intently to his playing. "Whatcha doin'?" the little boy asked as he and his sister sat on either side of him.

Darien smiled at him. "I'm playing Christmas music," he said as he continued playing.

"It's very pretty," the little girl said. She and her brother continued listening to the music contently before they caught on to the melody. "I know this song," the girl exclaimed.

"Me too!"

"Would you like to sing it with me?" Darien asked.

"Yeah!" they both said at the same time. Darien played the introduction and then they all started singing together.

*******

"Rachel, Jonathan, where are you?" a man yelled frantically.

"I see them, Andrew," a woman said. "They're sitting at a bench." The couple appeared and smiled at the scene before them. A black haired man the woman didn't recognize was helping her son play a few simple chords on the guitar while her daughter tried to sing along.

"I told you you're gonna be a great father someday, Darien," Andrew said happily. Darien, Rachel and Jonathan gasped in surprise and looked up to see who was talking to them. "I see you met my kids."

Darien smiled at his friend. "Not formally."

"My name's Rachel," the little girl said.

"And my name's Jon."

"This is my wife Mina," Andrew said. "Mina, this is my friend Darien from work that I've been telling you about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mina said. "I want to personally thank you for helping my husband get to the children's play today."

"It wasn't a problem," Darien said modestly. "I needed the extra tips to buy my Serena's Christmas present anyway."

"Mommy, what are tips?" Jon asked.

"It's money that people give to hard workers for doing a good job," Mina explained.

"Is that why there's change in your guitar case, Mr. Darien?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a good day," Darien said sadly.

"Were the customers that bad at work after I left?" Andrew asked. "I was sure they would have been generous considering it's Christmas Eve and all."

"They were," Darien explained. "But Carson took all my tip money and fired me."

"Are you kidding me?" Andrew exclaimed. "What the heck happened?"

"I was helping the last customer, an elderly couple, and they didn't have enough money for all the repairs they needed. I did some services for them for free, but Carson saw what happened and fired me."

"That's awful," Mina said. "Is Serena your wife?" Darien nodded. "Does she happen to wrap presents at the department store?"

"Yeah," Darien said. "I didn't want her to because she's pregnant with our twins, but the little money she makes has helped us a lot."

"I'm the assistant manger there and I'm so glad to have her. She's one of the sweetest people I have ever met and she brings so much life to the place."

Darien smiled. "That's one of the many reasons why I love her so much." Mina sighed dreamily with hearts in her eyes as Andrew rolled his eyes and the children laughed.

"Darien, I feel awful about what happened," Andrew said digging through his pockets. "Take my tip money. You need it more than I do."

"I can't do that…"

"I insist," Andrew said stuffing it in his hands. "It's Christmas so don't try to give it back."

"Thank you," Darien said gratefully.

"We've gotta get going before my parents get home," Mina said. "Merry Christmas, Darien. Tell Serena I love her."

"Bye, Mr. Darien," Rachel and Jonathan said together as they walked away.

Darien waved and checked the time. He put his guitar away and rushed to the jewelry store. He got there as the manager was closing. "Please wait sir," Darien said frantically. "I have to buy my wife a Christmas present."

"I'm sorry," the manager said. "You can read the sign: I close at 6pm."

"I just want to get that necklace. I have cash money." Darien took the money from his pocket and frowned when he realized he still came up short. The manager started walking away. Darien thought quickly and an idea suddenly came to his head. "Wait what if I trade this in." He took out his late father's pocket watch and gave it to the manager. He loved the watch because it was a memory of his father, but Serena's happiness meant much more.

"Hmm," the man said examining the pocket watch. "It looks too ancient to be worth anything. Sorry." He handed it back to Darien.

Darien's shoulders slumped. "It was my father's," he said sadly. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Merry Christmas." He started walking away dejectedly.

The manager had compassion on him and changed his mind. "Maybe this watch is worth something after all. Come on in and we can try to work something out."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Darien came home half an hour later to Serena setting the table for their Christmas dinner. "You're finally home," she said as she went to hug and kiss him. "I was starting to get worried."

"I had to take care of some things, but I'm glad to be home now. It was a long day."

"It wasn't a good day was it?" she asked as they sat together on the couch in the den.

Darien half smiled at Serena. Sometimes he hated when she could see right through him, but at the same time it was what he loved about her. "I pulled a double shift at work to help a friend, but then I got fired because I didn't make a customer pay full price for their services. They didn't have enough money."

"Oh, Darien," Serena said leaning onto his chest.

"Don't worry," he said wrapping his arms around her. "We have enough money to get through the next month or so. I'll find another job by then. The Lord will provide. Meanwhile we can spend the extra time getting ready for the twins to come."

"If it'll make you feel better, I got you a Christmas present." She picked up the wrapped present from the table beside the couch an handed it to him.

Darien smiled and pulled out the wrapped present he had from his pocket. "I got you a present too," he said as he handed it to her. "We can open them together."

"Ok," Serena said excitedly. "1… 2… 3!" They both unwrapped their presents carefully and were shocked to silence. "Darien, this is beautiful," she said admiring the necklace with the charm on it.

Darien frowned a little when he saw the pocket watch holder, but focused his attention on Serena's present. "The heart can be your biggest charm for that bracelet you wear all the time." Serena frowned when he mentioned the charm. "What's wrong?"

Serena sighed sadly. "I traded my mom's charm bracelet so I'd have enough money to buy your case. Do you not like it? I saw you frown."

"I traded my pocket watch to get you that necklace," Darien said quietly. "Now I don't have anything to put in it."

Serena looked down sadly until an idea came to her head. "I can put my necklace inside and we can put the pocket watch holder in the center of the coffee table. That way it'll remind us of the sacrifices we made for each other."

"And show off both gifts that came from the heart," Darien said as he put an arm around Serena. "That's wonderful. I love you, Serena."

"And I love you too," Serena said as she kissed him. She got up taking Darien's hand in hers. "Are you ready to…" she screamed and squeezed his hand as a sharp pain shot through her stomach.

Darien got scared when she doubled over in pain. "Serena, what's wrong?"

"My stomach… it hurts so much… UGH!"

Darien led her to the couch and laid her down. "I'm calling 911," he said as he grabbed the phone.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

An ambulance came to Serena and Darien's house within the next half hour and drove them to the hospital. It turned out that Serena was going into premature labor and needed an emergency c-section. "Darien, I'm scared," Serena said as the doctors were working on her. "What if we lose them like last time?"

"Don't say that," Darien said kneeling beside her and holding her hand. "Just have faith."

"We have a boy," a doctor said a few minutes later holding up one baby. He was crying loudly as the doctors cleaned him up. "It'll be just a moment before we get the other one."

Serena was relieved as Darien kissed the top of her head. "I told you," Darien said. He looked down and noticed that they had gotten the other baby out, but no noise was made. He got concerned when more nurses and doctors surrounded the baby.

Serena noticed Darien's mood change and got worried. "Darien, what's wrong?" she asked frantically. A heart monitor went off signaling that a heart had stopped.

"She's not breathing," a nurse said quickly.

_No, no, no_, Darien thought in despair. _Not again_. Serena was crying and Darien was fighting hard to maintain his composure for her sake. "It's gonna be ok," he whispered. A few agonizing minutes later the heart monitor went back to normal.

"She's ok," a doctor said before crying was heard. "Congratulations."

"Thank you doctor, thank you," Serena said as tears strained her voice. Serena was stitched back up and wheeled to a hospital room to rest. A few minutes later, nurses came in with the twins for Serena and Darien to hold.

"Here are your twins," one nurse whispered as she set the girl in Serena's arms.

"Congratulations," the other nurse said handing the boy to Darien.

The tiny babies stopped crying and looked at their parents. "Darien, we have a family," Serena said playing with the girl's fingers.

"I know," Darien said wiping his tears away. "What are we gonna name them?"

"Brittany Irene, in honor of my mother," Serena said immediately as they traded babies. "You name our son."

"Brittany is beautiful. How do you feel about David James? David was my dad's name."

"I love it," Serena said contently. "We got very special Christmas presents after all."

Darien smiled. "We definitely did. I love you, Serena."

"I love you too, Darien." They shared a long kiss before being interrupted by both babies crying.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

A few hours later, Andrew and Mina came to visit Serena and Darien at the hospital. Darien met them in the waiting room. "How did you know we were here?" he asked.

"The kids were opening one present before they went to bed and I remembered that I had a gift I forgot to give Serena," Mina explained.

"We came to your house and no one was home," Andrew said. "One of your neighbors told us an ambulance came a few hours ago so we came to make sure you two were ok."

Darien smiled. "I appreciate that. Serena had the twins early. They have to be kept here for observation for a few days, but everything's fine now."

"Congratulations," Mina said happily. "Did you have boys or girls?"

"We have one of each; David James and Brittany 'Rini' Irene. There was a short scare when Rini came out, but she's doing great now. Would you like to see them?"

"Definitely," Andrew said. "We can't stay too long though because Mina's father is waiting."

Andrew and Mina followed Darien to the room where Serena was staying. Darien opened the door quietly just in case she was sleeping and poked his head in. "Serena? Can I come in with our visitors?"

"Go ahead," she said holding both babies. "I just got done feeding them." Darien opened the door wide to reveal Andrew and Mina. Serena smiled graciously at them. "What a surprise!"

Mina gasped when she saw the babies up close. "They're adorable," she cooed as she took a seat next to Serena and hugged her. "How are you feeling, Mommy?"

"Tired but relieved," Serena replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a present I forgot to give you, but as soon as your neighbor told us an ambulance came we got here as soon as we could. This is my husband, Andrew by the way."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Andrew said shaking her hand. "Darien talks about you all the time. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Serena said. "I feel bad for not having a present for you too, Mina."

"Don't even worry about it," Mina said dismissively. "Your friendship is enough for me."

"We have to get going," Andrew said. "I'm glad you're all right."

"Call me if you need a babysitter," Mina added.

Serena smiled at them. "Thank you. Merry Christmas!"

"I'll walk you to the car," Darien offered. The three of them walked to the parking lot and found the car Mina's father was waiting in. Darien did a double take when he saw the man in the driver's seat.

"Fancy seeing you again, young man," the man said. "This is the gentleman I was talking about at dinner who gave me such wonderful service at the shop earlier today. I hope you got a nice Christmas bonus."

"No sir," Darien said sadly. "I actually got fired."

The man looked appalled. "Because of us? How terrible!"

"Mr. Carson is not an easy man to work with," Andrew commented.

The man smiled as an idea came to him. "Do you have business experience?" he asked Darien.

"I used to work for Graceland, Inc. as a business executive, but they ran into trouble."

"I was gonna wait until tomorrow to mention it to my son-in-law here, but I can tell you both now. My name is Kirk Adamson, president of Lovelace Industries. I'd like to offer you both a position in the company. Consider it my Christmas present to you."

"Really?" Andrew exclaimed excitedly. "That'd be wonderful."

Darien couldn't believe it and was rendered speechless for a moment. "It'd be an honor sir," he finally answered.

"Wonderful," Mr. Adamson said. "We'll go over specifics on Monday. Bring your resume."

"Thank you so much," Darien said gratefully shaking his hand.

Mr. Adamson started the car. "It's my pleasure."

"Here's Serena's present," Mina said handing a wrapped package to Darien. "Merry Christmas!"

"See you Monday, Darien," Andrew said.

Darien waved as they drove away and headed back to Serena's room to tell her the news. "Serena?" he whispered as he came in the room. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, but not for much longer," she said tiredly. "The twins are in bed in the nursery." She studied him for a moment. "You're excited about something. What happened while you were gone?"

Darien set Serena's present aside before sitting on the bed beside her and held her hands. "I have a job again. I start Monday."

Serena smiled brightly and kissed him. "That's wonderful!"

"It turned out that the last customer I gave free service to at the shop was Mina's father and he's the president of a big company, bigger than the one I was at before. He offered me and Andrew both a position."

"That's so exciting! Our prayers have been answered."

"Definitely," Darien said hugging Serena tightly. "Even if I didn't get a new job just now, I still would have had the best Christmas gift ever. I have a wife who loves me and two healthy children."

Serena snuggled close to Darien and yawned. "And I'm blessed to have a husband who I know will take care of our family as best he knows how."

"I love you, Serena." Darien waited for a response, but heard soft snoring instead. He smiled down at his wife and kissed the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, my love."

_**The End**_

**Author's notes: So what did you think? Be honest and let me know. Otherwise have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!**


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